Archive for February, 2009

Philip Rizk released

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Early Wednesday morning, blogger and activist Philip Rizk, who was detained after he participated in public demonstrations in support of Gaza last Friday, was released and driven home without having been charged. (more…)

Event: Twenty years of free speech wars

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

fatwaflameIn February 1989, five months after the publication of The Satanic Verses, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against its author Salman Rushdie. It is often seen as a pivotal moment in shaping the landscape of contemporary Western society. So, 20 years on, what is the legacy of the most famous free speech controversy of modern times?
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Interview: Giles Ji Ungpakorn

Monday, February 9th, 2009

giles_ungpakorn1Giles Ji Ungpakorn is a refugee from Thailand’s lèse majesté laws. He spoke to Index on Censorship about the government and military’s campaign against dissent
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Gaza activist detained in Egypt

Monday, February 9th, 2009

German-Egyptian activist Philip Rizk was detained north of Cairo following a rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Eyewitnesses said the author of popular blog Tabula Gaza was bundled into a white van with no licence plates, which then sped off. (more…)

Burmese journalists acquitted

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Editor Khin Maung Aye and reporter Manaw Tun of Rangoon-based weekly journal News Watch have been acquitted, after being detained for over two months in the notorious Insein Prison. (more…)

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Ungpakorn flees Thailand

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Giles Ji Ungpakorn, who was charged with lèse majesté in January, fled Thailand for Britain over the weekend. (more…)

Review: The Assault on Liberty

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

assault_on_liberty1 A new book attempts to cast the crisis in civil liberties as a left/right issue. But ultimately it is the timid, compliant climate of UK politics that is to blame, says John Kampfner
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The shame of secrecy

Friday, February 6th, 2009

binyam_mohamedThe case of Binyam Mohamed (right) underlines the need for transparency in the justice system, even during a ‘war on terror’, writes Aisha Maniar
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